Here are the TOP 10 FAQ's for the week of March 9th, 2009. If you know of another member who may have some of these same questions or issues, please feel free to forward them this post. It looks like a network with this many members and this many tools and options will never run out of good questions to be answered. Thanks for all the continued support and comments, these seem to be helping reduce the amount of tickets and emails we normally get on a regular basis. Special thanks to Jeremy Blanton for helping us get caught up in the support ticket booth.
Why does my ReBlog button say disabled? I am logged in and have checked the box to allow reblogging?
This only appears in the Internet Explorer Browser, and it's only confirming that you can't ReBlog your own posts. Nobody else can see that hover button title but you on your own Blog posts.
Brad, What are the settings about? I don't follow: what is their function?
The settings page on AR allows you to customize your settings in a way that suits your personal needs. This is where you add your Blog Title, widgets for your sidebar, description and keywords, twitter settings, general settings, email settings, and enable or disable Listing Router.
I see members have pictures and movies on their Blog Sidebar. How do I add these widgets to my Blog?
A very common question asked by new members on AR. The sidebar of your Blog is controlled at the settings page located on your "My Home" page. Click "My Home", then the "Settings" link on the left sidebar. The second box down (just below your Blog title) is where you place the HTML code for widgets. Find Out More Here.
How do I add posts to my Outside ActiveBlog? When I write them, should I do it on the outside blog?
This is one of the beauties of ActiveBlogs. You don't need to write separate posts and take up valuable time. You create your post on AR as you normally do. Next, before you submit it, just like adding to the various groups, simply put a check mark in the box "My Outside Blogs" then check where you want it to appear. (See below)
I recently purchased an individual outside blog, but there's a link in the toolbar that says members. Did I accidentally get a TEAM Blog? Am I being charged more? Can you help me?
All ActiveRain blogs are now team blogs, and are being given to members at no additional cost. They are now one in the same. You will not be charged more. The members link allows you to invite others from your Team or Brokerage (or groups) to contribute to your Blog. This is if they choose to accept your invitation. To invite a member, jusat click on the members link, and add just their AR profile name ONLY. IE: activebrad. This will send them an invite that will appear on their my home page. Ways to use your individual/team Blog.
Hi, I am new to ActiveRain. When I write a Blog post, my only options for viewing availability are draft, members only, or associates. How do I get my post to be available to the public?
Your free AR account only lets you post to "members only" or "associates" unless or until you upgrade to a rainmaker account. At this point you will be able to create "public posts", capture more SEO, setup an outside Blog with your own custom domain name, and get unlimited tech support from the AR staff and more. Here is a link that explains the "rainmaker membership plan"
I am using Internet Explorer because my MLS requires it. I am having too many issues with a lot of sites including AR, since I only can use IE, what do you recommend I do? Is there another Browser I can use without losing access to my MLS?
This is a very common "Myth-Understanding!" You can use multiple browsers on your computer. They even run simultaneously. You can run Mozilla FireFox, Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, Flock, and many others, all at the same time if you like. See How This Works Here.
Brad, I am a newbie here on AR, where can I go to find out information about all the things there are to learn here? Is there an ActiveRain manual somewhere? Who are we suppose to call for help?
There are so many great resources and members on AR, I use the "search" function at the top of every AR page. There are a few locations you will find a more focused effort on support issues, the first being ActiveRainGuide.com. You can also visit the HELP/FAQ Group located at the bottom of Every AR page. Since you are new, I would definitely review the "Getting Started Link" on the Main AR Page (under the channels area) and Lastly, you can visit My Profile on AR for some of my how-to's, tips, and tricks. As a Last resort? Support@ActiveRain.com
I got this page that came up on ActiveRain that said Intermission, what does this mean?
On occasion, our programmers and tech support team need to make small enhancements or deploy new versions and releases of bug fixes, new features, improvements etc. You were probably on-line while they were deploying the new ReBlog button onto the site.
The Intermission screen is just our friendly way of saying, "Take A Break, we'll be right back!"
It looks so much better than the screen that used to say, "Error - We're Down For Maintenance!"
Now it reads:
Where can I find the blog customizer tool? I can't find a link for it on my home page.
The ActiveRain Customizer IS on your "My Home" page. It has been moved around a few times but has finally found a home right next to your ActiveRain Blog link. Go to "My Home" and on the left sidebar, just below the word BLOGS, you will see "ActiveRain" and next to it a link that says "Customize", this is where you can add headers, background images, different colored fonts and text etc.
Don't forget to check out the "NEW" Custom Blogs Page that went up at 2:00am while members were sleeping.
Later this week I'll be making a couple exciting announcements regarding our upcoming AR Webinar Training Series, the new ActiveRain Ambassadors and Badge, and something else I have been working on these past few weeks. This is going to be a very exciting week with the announcements of some great "new" things coming to the "rain!" Have a great week everybody. :-)
Week In Review - Top 10 ActiveRain FAQ's - Volume I
Week In Review - Top 10 ActiveRain FAQ's - Volume II
Week In Review - Top 10 ActiveRain FAQ's - Volume III
Week In Review - Top 10 ActiveRain FAQ's - Volume IV
Brad, once again you serve with a wealth of info to help us splash in the Rain!
Thanks for the info. . .I can't wait to see what you have coming up?
Brad...a lot of great info in the FAQ update. I saw the new intermission screen once this week. It looks great and it made me suddenly crave popcorn.
Brad: What a great post. I have been on AR for about 18 months, and I have learned several things from your info on this post. Thanks so much. I appreciate you !
Brad....Once again, thanks for all the great info! My goal this week is to figure out how to add a widget. This should help!
You just answered 75% of the trouble tickets I have had the past week!
Great information for those that don't know the navigation of AR. I was once lost as well but I am now found!
Thank you for the widget information. That's the one I have been wondering about.
Brad: A truck load of great info! Some I knew...some I didn't. THANKS.
Another awesome post for newbies and experienced folks! The Active Rain Guide is awesome as well. And I've never seen the intermission curtain, very creative!
Good info Brad. BTW, this AM I am not getting my comments emailed to me and nothing is updating on my home page. Waz up wid that?
Thank you for all the great posts
Excellent Brad. These kinds of posts always provides me a reminder of something I need to do. :)
Re Outside/Active Blogs .... These are all team blogs now, correct? .... But the people I invite must first be Active Rain members, right? Or can I invite NON-Active Rain members?
And what if the AR member joined under the new free-post-to-members-only program, and is not yet a "rainmaker" member ..... can I still invite them to contribute to an Outside/Active Blog?
Just wanted to clarify....... Thanks.
Thanks for this post. It helps explain a lot about what AR is doing. The links are also great for getting more in depth information about the specific topic.
Hi Brad, Thanks as always for all of the great info. I just wish our local board was as helpful and forth coming with announcements about problems and solutions as you are! I actually need to call you on behalf of some of the associates in my office. Your answers to their queries were in the last post on the subject, so I will touch base soon! Have a good week my friend!
Thanks Brad, as always you just answered a few of my questions before I even had time to ask. Thank you for the informative post and have an excellent week.
Brad - Rock on !!! There is so much going on here in the Rain that it is hard to keep up with ! Dont know how you guys do it. Will check out the new customization for Outside blogs this week and will look foward to the AR Webinar Series !
Brad, thanks for the FAQ update. Looking forward to the new things coming out this week. Thanks.
OK, I like Cheryl's questions too. But my only question for the morning is about the widgets. Brad, do I need these things? Does it add to my blog? Does it slow down my blog when loading?
thanks brad .... always get a few more questions answered !
Brad - This is great! We can always depend on you to know what we need to know!
Brad excellent stuff. I must have missed the team blogs being the same as an individual blog IE same price. An interesting thought I have about that is how if effects SEO if you add your post to a few team blogs. For obvious reasons you would want your URL indexed 1st. I always wait till it gets indexed before adding it to the other places. I guess that could be a post:)
You should change your name to "The Answer Man"! Thanks for sharing this great info!
Great info. I've gotta get crackin' on incorporating some of what you're teaching us. Thanks Brad!
Brad, I hadn't seen the "intermission" screen yet... I like it very much!
Hi Brad. I have a question about your first item, the re-blog button. How do agents post their content in several different locations, i.e., cities or markets, without losing their coveted "points". I've done it incorrectly several times and had my credits stripped. (Ouch!) I've seen other members post in multiple locations, but obviously I've done it wrong. Any Comments? Maybe a question for next week's clarifications? Thanks.
Ah...I didn't know about the webinar series, good to know.
Brad, another great guide. This could turn into the UFC series.
btw: for anyone interested to know how we setup our sidebar, feel free to ask, our code isn't top secret.
Hi Brad ! Great summary again , and thanks for helping with my question this week !
... oh and I like the 'Intermission Curtain' too !
Cheers !
Brad,
I am enjoying these weekly updates keep them up they are helpful.
Brad--There were a few tips here that even I had to check into further as there are so many changes and new features. Nice work!
Brad, Wow, thanks for all of that. It was really helpful.
Brad, I know you've answered this - somewhere, but how can we tell if one of our own posts has been ReBlogged?
Thanks, Mike.
As usual Brad....you are the man! This is grat information, and I am forwarding this post to my office.
Brad, Thanks for all the information. AR moves at the speed of lightening and it's hard to keep up with! My question is: When will Localism be fixed? I know there are some of us in the rain where it's not coming up....Mine still says "error" no matter what browser I use :(
I always thank you for all your help--and what ARE we going to do while you're in Tahiti??
Fantastic info as usual, thanks for the FAQs!
Oh my gosh Brad - You are such a wealth of info. These FAQ's are a huge help. Keep em' coming.
thanks for the info, i'm new to AR and am still trying to figure it out. this definitely helps
Hi Brad:-)
When I do my new market reports, what I used to do was cut and past my old one into AR and then update the facts and figures, then post. Now with the new cut and past box that comes up, I lose all my spacing and formatting and have to re-do it every time. Is there a better way to do it, so I don't have to re-invent the wheel every time? Thanks:-)
Thanks Brad - there are always so many new things happening in AR. Your posts for Q&A is a great way to stay on top of them.
(((whoot)))
Re Outside/Active Blogs .... These are all team blogs now, correct? .... But the people I invite must first be Active Rain members, right? Or can I invite NON-Active Rain members?
And what if the AR member joined under the new free-post-to-members-only program, and is not yet a "rainmaker" member ..... can I still invite them to contribute to an Outside/Active Blog?
Just wanted to clarify....... Thanks.
Cheryl - Yes, Yes, Yes (invite to join), and No. Clarified! lol~ :-)
Great stuff! We'd all be lost without you.
Brad - I thought you were in Tahiti! :-) Good stuff here. Since I'm so new on here doing my own blog I am checking into this. Lisa always was the leader here. I on the other hand was just an occasional contriubutor.
Jeremy seems to like it. Maybe it will cut down on his workload. lol
thanks so much. I always look forward to informative posts
Hi Brad, The Q $ A format is excellent. Please don't limit it to just the top 10 !
are your comments working now Brad?
Hi Brad...Caught you on Twitter ..had to check you out! GREAT STUFF! But i have some questions about Localism I will email you...:0)
Brad thank you again for the great information you answered two of the questions I have been wrestling with. How to add widgets to my sidebar and how to post blogs to the public.
Hi Brad! Thanks again for the great info. There are always new things to learn.
As I new agent to Active Rain these question and answer sessions are great. I actually had a couple of questions, but thanks to this blog many have been answered. I do have one question, sorry if I missed it in the Q & A. Is it possible to have my listings show up on my home page so other agents or potential buyers can see it?
Brad, I love active Rain. So much information and positive people on here. Posts like this speed up the leaning curve. Thanks
Brad, are these new schemes available for all of the outside blogs? Of course, I would like the ability to customize the color, etc., but I'm good....just wondering about the optional schemes.
AND blog comments are not showing up on the home page, fyi!!! ;-)
I just need to figure out how to get all of my posts moved over to my new Super A|R blog... and how to get it to show up with the domain name I already had for my outside blog.
I was wondering about the sidebar widgets. I will spice my blog up when I get that feeling.
Russell #16 - looking forward to hearing from you. :-)
Connie #20 - Yes, they can impact the load-time of your blog. However, some will not, and are very useful and generate traffic, leads, and business. Some Others are a waste of time in my opinion. All depends on your audience and what you are looking for to add as "value" to your blogs or sites.
Bill #23 - I'll be looking forward to your post, that'll be a great one.
Pat #27 - great question for next week, but since you asked it here, let's just hope people read and see it. lol~ Now for the funny part, I'm not sure I understand what you mean? After you reblog a post, you can go in and edit YOUR reblog of their post, and send it to whatever groups or visibility you choose. Let me know if this is what you're asking OK?
Mike #34 Here you go my friend: ActiveRain-ReBlog-Gets-A-FaceLift-Time-To-Incorporate-It
Carole #36 - That is a huge project, we are aware of the many issues and wish I had a date for the new release. Thanks for being patient.
Debra #40 - there is, use the mouse "right-click" to copy and paste instead, this keeps the formatting etc. Using Firefox as your browser will also enhance your AR experience for the better.
Bob #45 - If you'd donate a little more than you found in your couch cushions, I might be in Tahiti already! lol~ At this rate it will take me to August to get there. Regarding Jeremy? We'll keep him plenty busy, we haven't even given him the AR roast yet... haha!! :-)
Bill #47 - Are you kidding me? Did you see how long this post is? Do you know how long these take? ROFL... don't stick to 10? Are you nuts? hahaha!! Making members dizzy with info is one thing, making them pass out is just down-right cruel! Great comment, thanks. :-)
So why did I add the number of the comment next to the names? I feel like I'd be insulting your intelligence if I explained.. lol~
Bob - email comment notifications are working now, thanks. They were in the queue and have since gone out to all members.
Hannah #49 - I'll watch for your email, may take me some time to get back to you, there could be a couple hundred ahead of yours. I'll respond as soon as I can. Thanks. :-)
Christopher #52 - yes. Just post to your AR Blog and then add to the different groups and blogs by checking the appropriate boxes before you submit it. This will keep it on your home page and not just in the groups. Great question.
Teri #54 - there are no schemes on AR. lol~ You must be referring to themes. There are multiple themes for the outside Blogs now, and they can be customized to some extent. We will be adding more with additional flexibility in the future. BTW - comments are fixed now.
Lane #55 - Great talking to you today, glad we got you all squared away!
Brad --- I love these "Weeks in Review" --- they are awesome. Thanks so much for taking the time to put these together.
Brad...that was a test - that's all - to see if you were paying attention. ;-)
Teri - haha! Hope I passed... :-)
Just noticed I hit 300K in points today... funny thing is, I stopped counting and tracking it a year ago when I joined AR.
WooTHooT! :-)
Thanks, Brad - I saw the curtain call message today - I thought it was much more dignified than a temp. error message; however, that didn't stop me from hitting the reload button over and over again - because I want to do what I want to do when I want to do it! LOL
Your Top 10 List is a weekly wealth of information. Thanks for taking the time to put it together.
man! 300,00o points!! talk about the torties and the hare! (me tortise, you hare!)
Thanks again for the updates Brad!
As always, keeping up with you is a full time job. Thanks a million for your help the other day. You were a life line! Gina
Nice summary. It is going to help the newbies and the less tech. savvy old ones here. Not to mention that Active Rain has so much to offer that the small stuff sometimes gets overlooked.
Thanks so much for your help this past week Brad.
Good stuff, always good stuff. Volume 3, still interested, happy to see it pop up on the list. Thanx!
Brad, you've done it again. You've got enough good information here for ten good posts! I like the "myth-understanding" term. =)
This is awesome. I've been looking for this kind of info. As always, you're so helpful. I guess it's your job...:)
Too much good stuff!
Once again Brad the man comes with awesome information that brings everyone up to speed. Thanks for the information. Keep up the good work.
Brad,
Your posts are so helpful. I bookmarked this one for future reference.
My son called panic stricken as he got the same virus your wife got on your computer around Christmas. I went back through your posts and emailed him your post on how to fix the virus. He followed what you said to do and it fixed his computer right up. He said it fixed other problems as well.
Thanks for all you do,
Brad, FYI my re-blog button that was green yesterday is now dissabled on all my post. Any ideas? Let me know please.Thank you. BTW congrats on 300K pretty soon it will be 500k:))
Thanks Brad, I had to Bookmark to go over everything later. I am sure I need to do some needed updating. Congrats on your 300K !!! I am slowly reaching 20K lol...
Endre - it only says disabled on your own posts, you can't reblog your own posts, that's why. :-) I just clicked on yours and it allowed me the option to reblog it, so it is working my friend. Enjoy the day.
HAPPY
I like the intermission screen - much more appeasing than the dreaded error messages...
thanks for all your great tools as usual
Always wondered how people got those great widgets....thanks for this FAQ post!!!
Brad - I have some extra time today and I was going to sign-up for an outside blog, but the link is gone. Is this a temporary glitch?
Hi Simon - I checked out your Blog and it was a glitch. Bob and I corrected it so you are good to go. I also left you a VM message on your cell. Thanks.
Brad - if I could be half as efficient as you I would be a super success! Thanks for your promtness and getting my outside blog signed up. Now off to get it customized!
Let me know if you need any help. After six today, I'm gone fishin....... :-)
Thanks, Brad. Helpful info here.
Brad, Your posts make it easier for me to "begin to understand" Thank you, Karen
Karen - I only started these in hopes that the questions of the "few" might help give answers to the "many!" Thank you for taking the time to read these, and I'm grateful these are helping you and others to understand more about the social and technical side of AR. :-)
Congrats Brad on surpassing the 300 mark! This is a great site, you are so patient posting, so much to navigate through but very interesting. "Ditto" Karen's comments!
Thanks Brad!
Al & Peggy Cunningham "AR Newbies, but inviters"!|
Brad - I like this new week in review concept. I am learning lots about AR through these blog posts, and see that I am not the only one who has questions.